Free FPSC Practice Questions

Question 1

Excavation equipment has wiped out the original pool corner stakes. A nearby fence was never established as a survey control, but intact batter-board marks remain tied to the surveyed baseline and the project benchmark is undisturbed. Which method gives the most defensible replacement layout?

Accepted Answer

Restore the corner from the surveyed offsets and benchmark, then verify dimensions and diagonals

Answer

Measure from the fence and shift the corner until the excavation appears centered

Answer

Average the exposed excavation edges, transfer their centerline to new stakes, and set grade from the nearest finished slab

Answer

Measure from the nearest finished slab because a concrete surface is unlikely to move

Question 2

Pocket-penetrometer readings from an 8-foot-deep pool excavation average 1.8 tsf. The soil is cohesive and has no free water, but the competent person observes visible fissures in the exposed face. How should the material be classified for OSHA purposes?

Accepted Answer

Type B, because fissures disqualify otherwise Type A material

Answer

Type A, because the compressive strength is at least 1.5 tsf

Answer

Type C, because visible fissures automatically place cohesive soil in the weakest category

Answer

Unclassified until a registered professional engineer performs laboratory testing

Question 3

At the same pump speed, a public pool's clean-system baseline was 120 GPM with 10 psi on the pump-discharge/filter-inlet gauge. Today flow is 82 GPM, the same gauge reads 18 psi, and suction-side head is 12 feet. Using 2.31 feet of water per psi and adding suction-side head, which result and diagnosis best fit the readings?

Accepted Answer

53.6 feet TDH; system resistance has increased, such as from a loaded filter

Answer

29.6 feet TDH; a suction-side air leak is the primary problem

Answer

41.6 feet TDH; the motor is operating at insufficient speed

Answer

65.6 feet TDH; the pump is oversized and should be replaced with a smaller motor-pump assembly

Question 4

The final electrical inspection of a 2020 NEC installation finds a metallic hardwired circulation-pump motor with an equipment grounding conductor, but no connection at its bonding lug. The installer claims that grounding makes bonding redundant. How should the inspector evaluate that claim?

Accepted Answer

Grounding provides the fault-current path; bonding reduces voltage gradients, so both applicable connections are required

Answer

The equipment grounding conductor is sufficient whenever the hardwired pump has GFCI protection and a metal raceway

Answer

Bonding is required only when the motor is located within 3 feet of the pool wall

Answer

The pump may operate until testing proves a measurable voltage difference at the deck

Question 5

During shotcrete placement at a spa bench, coarse, poorly cemented material accumulates behind the reinforcing at the base of the wall. The nozzleman proposes wetting it and packing it into the bench before covering it. How should the crew handle this material?

Accepted Answer

Remove and discard the rebound, clean the area, and correct the shooting technique

Answer

Blend it with fresh material so the added cement paste restores the mix

Answer

Leave it in place if cover and overall shell thickness will still meet the structural drawings after final trimming

Answer

Trowel it into the cove and compensate by extending the moist-curing period

Question 6

Plans for a new public pool show a wet deck draining at a uniform 3.5% cross slope. That slope is within the pool-deck drainage range, but the same strip is designated as the accessible route. Which design revision reconciles the two requirements?

Accepted Answer

Maintain positive drainage while providing an accessible route at no more than 1:48 cross slope

Answer

Flatten the entire wet deck to zero slope and increase the number of drains

Answer

Accept the 3.5% cross slope because the pool-deck drainage range controls every route within the wet-deck area

Answer

Replace the deck design with a uniform 1% slope around the entire pool perimeter

Question 7

Twice within a year, the grout joint between a concrete deck and precast coping has cracked along the full perimeter. The deck and shell are otherwise sound, and the joint is intended to accommodate differential movement. Which repair detail addresses the failure mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Remove the rigid filler and install compatible elastomeric sealant over a bond breaker or backer rod

Answer

Saw additional contraction joints through the coping units at regular intervals

Answer

Remove and replace the cracked material with high-strength epoxy grout, extending it deeper into the joint to resist movement

Answer

Tie the deck to the bond beam with a rigid mortar key before regrouting

Question 8

A 52-inch-high public-pool gate opens outward, self-closes, and self-latches. Its release mechanism is on the pool side, 4 inches below the top, and no opening larger than 1/4 inch exists within 20 inches of the release. An inspector objects because the latch is below 54 inches. How should the gate be evaluated?

Accepted Answer

The pool-side alternate can comply because the release is sufficiently below the top and nearby openings are restricted

Answer

Raise the release to at least 54 inches because no alternate latch location is permitted

Answer

Replace the barrier because every public-pool gate must be at least 60 inches high

Answer

Move the release to the outside at 48 inches so it is reachable from the public side

Question 9

Three weeks after startup, a dark aggregate finish shows broad color mottling. Sounding is solid, no cracks or material loss are present, and the water-balance log remains within the specified range. Which assessment is best supported?

Accepted Answer

The mottling may be aesthetic placement or hydration variation; document and evaluate it before removal

Answer

The entire finish must be removed because broad mottling in a dark aggregate surface establishes loss of bond to the substrate

Answer

The shell has a structural crack that has not yet reflected through the finish

Answer

An aggressive acid wash is required to force the surface to a uniform color

Question 10

For a newly plastered public pool, pH is 7.5. The supplied LSI factors for temperature, calcium hardness, adjusted alkalinity, and TDS are 0.7, 2.2, 2.1, and 12.1. Using LSI = pH + temperature factor + calcium factor + alkalinity factor - TDS factor, the calculated index supports which operating judgment?

Accepted Answer

LSI +0.4; the water has scale-forming tendency, so reduce scale-driving factors in controlled steps

Answer

LSI -0.4; the water is corrosive, so raise calcium hardness and alkalinity before making any other adjustment

Answer

LSI +1.4; the water is strongly scale-forming, so close the pool and drain half the water

Answer

LSI -1.4; acid should be added until plaster hydration is complete

Free FPSC Practice Questions

Domain 1: Pre-installation and Site Preparation 5% of exam

Question 1

Domain 2: Pool and Spa Excavation 15% of exam

Question 2

Domain 3: Plumbing Work 12.5% of exam

Question 3

Domain 4: Electrical Work 5% of exam

Question 4

Domain 5: Shell Placement 10% of exam

Question 5

Domain 6: Deck Work 5% of exam

Question 6

Domain 7: Tile, Coping and Trim Work 10% of exam

Question 7

Domain 8: Accessory Work 10% of exam

Question 8

Domain 9: Interior Surface Preparation and Finishing 5% of exam

Question 9

Domain 10: Start Up 5% of exam

Question 10

The rest of the FPSC blueprint

That's 10 of 1,030